Tech
Cadillac's F1 Seats Are Made of Flax, Not Carbon Fiber — Here's Why
A new What Makes Fast episode follows Valtteri Bottas's bespoke seat from a foam pour coordinated out of Charlotte to a flax-fiber shell built near Silverstone.
TB
News Editor
Tom Beckett
Tom runs the news desk and the embargo calendar. A decade of breaking product news taught him that every 'industry first' deserves a second phone call. Send tips — anonymity guaranteed.
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Industry
Kia Puts Five Hybrids in One Ad as Hybrid Share of US Sales Hits a Record
A Gesaffelstein-scored spot puts the Telluride, Sportage, and Carnival turbo-hybrids at the center of Kia's marketing — just as hybrids hit a record share of US new-car sales.
Industry
Ram Signs Five Texas Longhorns and Becomes the CFP's Official Truck
A season-long ESPN sponsorship and NIL deals with five Longhorns players make "Nothing Stops Football" Ram's biggest sports-marketing bet since its NASCAR return.
Motorsport
The GR Supra Takes One Last Pace Car Lap Before Toyota Retires It
The fifth-generation Supra gets a farewell assignment: pacing NASA's 20th anniversary Championships at Sebring before the current car ends production.
New Cars
New BMW X5 Gains Carbon Aero Parts, 23-Inch Wheels, and Bigger Roof Boxes
Carbon aero components, wheels up to 23 inches, and three larger Aero roof boxes arrive with the fifth-generation X5 — along with the first parts earmarked for a V8 model BMW hasn't shown yet.
Industry
Lexus Marks 25 Years of the IS With a $2,600 AMBUSH Leather Jacket
Tokyo label AMBUSH reworks the IS into jackets, tees, and chrome hardware dropping September 18 — while the sedan itself soldiers on with a single engine.
Motorsport
Lamborghini's Outgoing Huracán GT3 Just Won Again — In the Year of Its Replacement
Rodrigo Testa and Leonardo Moncini led every lap from pole at Hockenheim, giving the 10-year-old Huracán GT3 a win in the season its successor arrived.
Motorcycles
Aston Martin's First Street-Legal Motorcycle Packs 130 HP and a Titanium Frame
After two track-only superbikes, the Aston Martin–Brough Superior partnership delivers its first road-legal machine: a 419-pound, titanium-framed V-twin limited to 300 units.
New Cars
Scout Shows Two Faces of the Traveler: a Walnut-Trimmed Lounge and a Winch-Ready Trail Rig
A charcoal-and-walnut Mountainside build and a winch-equipped trail rig appeared side by side at Jazz Aspen Snowmass — an early look at how wide the Traveler range will stretch before 2028 deliveries.
Industry
Maserati Launches "Luxury, Every Day" Push as Sales Sit at a 13-Year Low
The film pitches the refreshed GranTurismo, GranCabrio, and Grecale as luxury for daily use — a message that lands as the Trident digs out of its lowest sales since 2012.
Recalls
Ford Just Recalled 223,526 F-150s — and the Big One Is the Fuel Tank
Three F-150 recalls landed at NHTSA on the same day, but 223,472 of the 223,526 trucks are in for one reason: fuel tank straps that may never have been secured to the frame. Owner letters start September 21.
Future Cars
Is the Subaru WRX STI Coming Back to America? Everything We Know
Subaru has confirmed a TY85-equipped manual WRX, a new hot hatchback, and a racing STI prototype. The one thing it hasn't confirmed is the market that loved the STI most.
New Cars
Renault Niagara Debuts as the Maverick-Style Pickup America Won't Get
Renault's Argentina-built unibody truck pairs a 160-hp turbo flex engine with on-demand AWD and Google-based tech — and it's gunning for the Fiat Toro, not the US market.
Preview
Tesla's Roadster Finally Has a Date — and Four Questions It Can't Dodge
Tesla will show the second-generation Roadster in Waco on October 1 — its fifth target date this year alone. Price, delivery timing, the 2017 deposits, and the 2017 specs are all still open.
Industry
GM Turned Its WEC Home Race Into a Classroom for 78 Texas High Schoolers
While Cadillac chased a podium at Lone Star Le Mans, GM ran a two-day STEM program in the same paddock — part of a talent pipeline behind its biggest racing expansion in decades.
New Cars
Jeep's $4,995 Wrangler JL-2A Costs Just $115 More Than a Comparable Rubicon
The 11th of 12 Twelve 4 Twelve drops turns the Rubicon into a Willys CJ-2A tribute with a first-for-Wrangler tan-and-brown cabin. Orders open in October; Jeep hasn't said how many it will build.
New Products
Toyota Puts a $2,500 Racing Kart at the Bottom of Its GR Lineup
The ¥385,000 GR KART fits in a Noah minivan, stores upright, and adjusts to fit drivers from kids to adults. Toyota hasn't said a word about selling it outside Japan.
Industry
GM Turns Its New Detroit HQ Lobby Into a Free Concept Car Gallery
The Buick Wildcat, Cadillac Sollei, and GMC Hummer X pickup share floor space with local artists' work at Hudson's Detroit — free through November 1.
Manufacturing
Ford Puts $1 Billion Into the Paint Shop Where the Super Duty Is Built
The new shop replaces the existing one at Kentucky Truck Plant, home of the Super Duty, Expedition, and Navigator. Ford will break ground by year-end but hasn't said when it opens.
Special Editions
MINI's 1998 GT Lands $2,025 Below a Real JCW 2 Door — With the Base Cooper Engine
Drop 06 of MINI USA's Icon Drops bolts JCW suspension, brakes, and aero onto a base Cooper C — $4,075 above a Cooper S and only $2,025 short of the full JCW 2 Door.